Tambo Springs development on the home stretch

The Tambo Springs development promises to give Gauteng the much-needed logistics infrastructure the province requires to deal with increased cargo volume while also delivering economic growth.

Not only will it provide a state-of-the-art logistics gateway and development zone, but it also brings the concept of a multimodal network to life in the province.

Tumi Mohulatsi, CEO of the Tambo Springs Development Company (TSDC), the landowner and master developer of the project, says the 600-hectare development will create a next-generational inland port in the province, improving logistics in and out of Gauteng.

Gauteng needs a logistics gateway linked to the main transportation corridors by road and rail if it wants to deal with the increase in cargo volumes efficiently,” he says.

More heavy-haul vehicles into the city centre and its ring roads will simply not suffice and the inland rail terminal at City Deep has reached capacity.

At Tambo Springs we will contribute to the migration from road to rail with a 75-wagon terminal that will allow the province to move more containers more efficiently.

Mohulatsi says the decision to deliver the terminal privately (following the failure of a Transnet concession that would have been responsible for designing, building and operating the terminal), will also bring about the much-needed reliability and predictability required from a rail solution. 

From a spatial planning point of view the province – and the country for that matter – cannot continue to move trucks from the Port of Durban into the heart of Gauteng. We are congesting the cities and there is no room for growth as the current infrastructure simply cannot handle more volume. Consolidating containers on the periphery of Gauteng is the best solution.

The development has been more than a decade in the making and has experienced significant delays – much to do with the rail terminal and siding delivery. 

This is now something of the past. Transnet has granted technical approval for the terminal and the Rail Safety Regulator is currently assessing the safety procedure application. On approval of the safety procedure application. On approval of the safety procedure, we will negotiate and sign a service level agreement with Transnet to gain access to the main line and deliver the rail terminal privately. This will allow us to double the capacity.

According to Mohulatsi, the terminal has good access from a provincial road that will be enhanced by the N3 interchange, which will be constructed by the Gauteng government. The interchange has been delayed by ongoing litigation between the government and other developers.

See original article.
Southern Africa’s Freight Features News – Gauteng